A warning. Fabien Galthié and his staff did not need that to know that the French XV would have a lot to do next week against the Springboks but the clear victory of the world champions this Saturday against Japan (61-7), at Wembley, confirmed it.
The South Africans largely won, scoring eight tries against the Japanese who were overwhelmed by the speed and power of the Springboks.
This match confirmed the emergence of immense talent on the South African side, that of fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. The Stormers’ number 10, aged 23, scored two tries, one of which was a personal feat from 30 meters, plowing through the Japanese defense with disconcerting ease and class.
The scenario of the match allowed coach Rassie Erasmus to rotate his squad and preserve a few players including Siya Kolisi, author of the first try, Malcolm Marx or Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who will be one of the attractions of the clash against the XV of France.
This large victory confirms the excellent form of the representatives of the rainbow nation, crowned in the Rugby Championship this summer in front of New Zealand after notably inflicting a historic beating on the All Blacks at home (10-43) in September.
The meeting between France and South Africa, Saturday November 8 at the Stade de France, is particularly anticipated: for the Blues, it will be revenge for the quarter-final of the 2023 World Cup lost at home (28-29), a heartbreak which had shattered the dreams of the first world title in history for Antoine Dupont’s gang.
In the other test match this Saturday, England easily beat Australia (25-7).
